Humour in adolescence on the autism spectrum

This project, funded by the SNSF Starting Grant, examines how adolescents on the autism spectrum understand and appreciate different types of humour—both verbal and visual—and how content familiarity shapes their responses. To capture both cognitive and emotional reactions, we employ EEG and FACS measures and complement these with a genetic analysis. Beyond characterising humour perception, the project investigates the underlying cognitive strategies, including preferences for local versus global processing and the contribution of mentalising abilities. Ultimately, we aim to design a personalised humour training program to promote the subjective well-being of autistic adolescents, assessing behavioural, neurocognitive, and genetic changes before, during, and after the intervention.

The project is conducted in collaboration with Prof. Andrea Samson (Unidistance Suisse), Prof. Silvia Brem (University of Zurich), Prof. Edna Grünblatt (University of Zurich), Prof. Nora Raschle (University of Zurich), and Prof. Susanne Walitza (University of Zurich).

In this project, we investigate which features of humorous information shape the understanding and appreciation of humour in adolescents on the autism spectrum.

Specifically, we examine whether autistic adolescents comprehend and enjoy different types of verbal and visual humour, and whether familiarity with the content enhances their responses. To address these questions, we employ electroencephalography (EEG) and the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) to capture both cognitive and emotional reaction.

In this project, we investigate the cognitive strategies underlying humour processing in autistic and neurotypical adolescents. Specifically, we address the following questions: Does a preference for local versus global information processing influence humour comprehension in autistic adolescents? Why do autistic individuals understand and appreciate certain types of humour more than others? And to what extent do mentalising abilities shape humour processing in this population? To answer these questions, we examine both electrophysiological correlates and behavioural responses in autistic and neurotypical adolescents.

This project aims to design and implement an innovative humour training program to enhance both the humour skills and the subjective well-being of autistic adolescents. Rather than teaching specific strategies or techniques for understanding humorous information, the program provides a personalised, tailor-made training for each participant. Behavioural and neurocognitive responses are systematically assessed and compared before, during, and after the intervention.